Belapur MLA meets PM at airport tarmac

It was one of those rare occasions when the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) asked Belapur MLA Manda Mhatre to be part of the select team to meet the prime minister at the Mumbai airport tarmac on his arrival in the city on Thursday.

Navi Mumbai is an important destination for BJP since the area houses the prestigious JNPT, where the Modi-led government has taken up the work of developing port SEZ. There are also plans to include Navi Mumbai in the list for developing smart cities.

All eyes are now on Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) elections where BJP, for the first time, has prepared a strategy to wrest power from ruling NCP and establish their supremacy. The BJP does not have power on its own strength in any civic body in the state.

Mhatre being called to the airport to be part of the team to welcome Modi may be considered as the testimony of how important Navi Mumbai is for the central government. During the brief two minutes which Mhatre got to interact with Modi, she gave a letter to the prime minister apprising him of the ground situation for Navi Mumbai civic polls and how they were taking every policy and achievement of the central government to people.